The United States urged Pakistan and Iran Thursday to avoid escalating tensions after the two countries exchanged air strikes, as President Joe Biden said the clash showed Iran was not “well-liked” in the region.
Tensions between nuclear-armed Islamabad, a US ally, and Washington’s foe Tehran have soared after Iran struck alleged militant targets in Pakistan and Pakistan responded in kind.
The situation has also added to broader unrest in and around the Middle East, where Iran’s proxies are in confrontation with Israel and the United States following the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7.
“As you can see, Iran is not particularly well-liked in the region,” Biden told reporters at the White House when asked about the clashes.
Biden said the United States was now trying to understand how the Iran-Pakistan situation would develop, adding: “Where that goes we’re working on now — I don’t know where that goes.”
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the United States was monitoring the situation “very, very closely” and was in touch with Pakistani officials.
“These are two well-armed nations and again we don’t want to see an escalation,” Kirby told journalists travelling with Biden aboard Air Force One.
Iran carried out air strikes on Tuesday, saying it had targeted a Sunni Muslim extremist group behind a series of attacks in Iranian territory. Pakistan said two children were killed.
Pakistan responded with strikes in Iran against what it said were separatist militants backing an insurgency in its restive southwestern province of Baluchistan. Tehran said nine people died and summoned Pakistan’s envoy.
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